The municipal elections are just a week away. The Hague, approximately 440,000 eligible voters will be eligible to cast their ballots on March 18th. There are approximately 260 polling stations spread across the city, including City Hall, community centers, and schools. There are also several special locations where residents can cast their ballots. Voting will also open at two polling stations starting at midnight.
Residents who want to vote immediately at midnight can go to polling stations in the Boterwaag and Grote Markt in the city center. On Tuesday, March 17th, starting at 8:00 PM, “VerkiezingsNâch” (Election Night) will be held on Grote Markt, featuring live music, debates, and more. Night voting will take place at these polling stations from midnight until 2:00 AM.
From City Palace to Nightclub
For the first time, people can vote at the ZZIIN Stadspaleis (City Palace) during this municipal election. This historic building on Javastraat was where The Hague City Council met from 1912 to 1972. There will also be a polling station for the first time at the brand-new university campus on Spui. Polling stations can also be found at various museums, such as Muzee Scheveningen and the Kunstmuseum, and people can vote at Club Westwood.
Own Your Polling Station
Several youth polling stations will once again be available for the municipal elections. In 2023, Stagehuis Schilderswijk came up with the idea of having young people take over a polling station. This led to the “Own Your Polling Station” initiative, launched in collaboration with the municipality of The Hague. At these locations, young people serve as polling station members, promote the polling stations in advance, and decorate them.
For this election, Own Your Polling Stations are operating at eight locations. This is more than the five for last year’s Dutch parliamentary elections: Theater De Vaillant (operated by Internship House Schilderswijk), The Hague University of Applied Sciences, InHolland University of Applied Sciences, ROC Mondriaan Aspasialaan, and Wijkz Moerwijk. The three new locations are University Campus Spui (operated by Leiden University), Theater and Filmhuis Dakota (operated by Wijkz Morgenstond), and WeZijn Transvaal.
Kom op! for The Hague
To allow as many residents of The Hague as possible to vote on March 18th, there will be a polling station for every resident within an average of 370 meters of their home. To increase turnout, the municipal executive and city council have also developed the “Action Plan for Promoting Turnout.” As part of this plan, the “Kom op! voor Den Haag” (Come on! for The Hague) campaign was recently launched to motivate residents to vote.
Mayor Jan van Zanen: “Your voting card will arrive in the coming days. It’s your ticket to our democracy. There are approximately 260 polling stations in The Hague: from the community center around the corner to Madurodam and even a nightclub. There’s no shortage of options. Come on! For The Hague on March 18th.”
More information
More information about the elections can be found at www.denhaag.nl/verkiezingen . An overview of all polling stations can be found at stembureausindenhaag.nl .